At Sbanco restaurant in Rome, chef Stefano Callegari takes his time making this perfect pizza dough, topping it with the flavors of cacio e pepe pasta. He's also devised a clever trick: putting a bit of crushed ice on the dough as it goes into the hot oven to keep the center moist and tender while the bottom and edge become crisp and crackling. It's worth noting that this recipe is largely about the dough--the topping, while delicious, is relatively scant.

Sturdy enough to slice, our cauliflower crust gets both flavor and structure from almond flour, eggs and a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan. Use this crust as a canvas for all of your favorite pizza toppings.

Have you ever grilled your pizza before? It's a simple yet effective way of switching up pizza night, and because of the speediness of cooking directly on an open flame, your pie is ready to devour in just a few minutes. Our simple dough recipe comes together in under an hour, and makes enough for four people... or in our case, two hungry Food Gays.

Zucchini and yellow squash can both be mild in flavor, but nothing about this tangy, herby pizza is bland. The summer squash is sliced into slender coins, then roasted in a hot oven until it’s lightly caramelized, bringing out its sweetness.

These crisp-crusted individual pies are a much more elegant version of the pizzas at Mama Mia's in New York's Dutchess County that Shea Gallante grew up making. Here, he tops them with sweet tomatoes, aged Gouda and a little pesto.

Depending on the size of the appetites around your house, this substantial pizza with its meaty portobello mushrooms serves two very hungry people or four if it’s accompanied by a big salad. If you don’t have fresh basil, stir some pesto into the peppers and mushrooms before putting them on the pizza.

At her takeout shop in Istanbul, Kantin Dükkan, Semsa Denizsel tops her pizzas with ground lamb (flavored with sweet sun-dried tomatoes and a little spicy red pepper), but you can substitute ground beef instead. To make the pizza even more substantial, bake it with an egg on top; the runny yolk is terrific with the whole-wheat crust.

“I don’t know if I invented this combo, but since I don’t remember stealing it from anyone, I’ll take the credit,” says Michael Schwartz of his ingenious pizza topping of shrimp, escarole, tangy Manchego and spicy chorizo. He gets his chorizo (the firm kind; the soft one would make the pizza too greasy) from Miami’s El Palacio de los Jugos marketplace.

“This dough is not the kind you throw in the air like in the movies,” Mario Batali says. He grills the crusts until they’re delectably charred, then adds one of two simple toppings—a classic Margherita with tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil, and a pungent mix of fontina, black olives and pine nuts.

Michael Emanuel (an alumnus of Berkeley’s Chez Panisse) tops this pizza with an irresistible mix of Provençal flavors: salty-sweet roasted squid, creamy aioli and crushed red pepper (French piment d’Espelette would also work well). The remaining aioli can be used as a dip for vegetables or a spread for sandwiches.

"This dough is not the kind you throw in the air like in the movies," Mario Batali says. He grills the crusts until they're delectably charred, then adds one of two simple toppings--a classic Margherita with tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil, and a pungent mix of Fontina, black olives and pine nuts. For the Nascar cookout, Batali cuts the pies into small wedges as appetizers but notes that they're also hearty enough to be a main course.